The End Of The Beginning
by Leap of fate
Summary: Set After Lullaby, Angel deals with Fatherhood & the responsibilities it entails, but how can he be the father Connor needs? Inside he wrestles with inner turmoil & the love that never went away. Eventual B/A pairing.


The End Of The Beginning  
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Chapter 1- Introduction  
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Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or Angel (though it'd be very nice if I did) or any of the characters herein unless I say so. This is a crossover fic between Buffy and Angel and I've done two stories so read on... OH AND TO ALL THOSE WHO DON'T READ THE AUTHORS NOTES YOU NEED 2 FOR THIS ONE SO START LOOKING!!!  
  
I have done a Buffy fic to run parallel with this called The Beginning Of The End and whereas this one is the L.A view to deal with what goes on after Lullaby and the Buffy one is set after Gone, so this is the L.A POV and eventually the two stories will crossover and hopefully showing 2 views 1 of S.D 1 of L.A should make it easier for them to link. The characters will interact and everything so there could be guest appearances in either fic. So I would recommend reading the Buffy one too so you get both sides of the coin but it aint mandatory, you wont miss out on anything important to one if you dont read the other. So review please, the more I get the faster I will update.   
  
Oh and things between ** mean thoughts, things between // // are flashbacks or dreams and capitals show extra accent on them.  
R&R please  
Enjoy  
  
xXx  
  
*  
  
Angel crouched there, the rain hammering mercilessly down upon him as he clutched the new-born baby to his chest. Tears of joy filled his eyes, this was true happiness, but no evil Angelus. He could feel his sons tiny heartbeat hammering in his little chest and Angel looked upon his son with pride.   
  
A tiny hand reached to the skies and then grasped his fathers little finger, and Angel was overwhelmed with a barrage of emotions. There was still shock from where Darla, his sire, mother to the indescribable little boy in his arms, had killed herself to save her son, THEIR son.   
  
Her ashes washed away in the thundering rain a grim reminder of what she really was, what Angel really was... but their son was not.  
  
Angel could not get over the incredible feeling of his sons minuscule hand clenching tightly around his finger, big brown eyes staring wide eyed at his father. He stood slowly, barely aware that shy little Fred was there, a smile of awe on her wet features. Then Angel noticed, in his peripheral vision, he saw...  
  
"Holtz." Angel murmured the word as he stood staring at the man, a crossbow clenched in his fist. Angel clutched his son to his chest, wanting more than anything to whisk the child away, but realising that it wouldn't be that easy.  
  
Now he was a father, he truly understood the true horror of what He- well Angelus- and Darla had done to this man, killed his wife, and turned his young daughter into what he spent his life hunting and hating. A vampire. He had to kill his own daughter, or the evil demon that inhabited the shell of her body, throw her out into the sunlight, destroy his own flesh and blood. Angel could not comprehend the torment that must of been, but he knew plenty about torment.  
  
Then to his surprise, Holtz lowered the crossbow. At first Angel thought he was bluffing, so didn't move, just kept the infant close to him, shielding him with his own vampiric form.  
  
But Holtz made no move to attack or raise the crossbow again. Angel slowly started to walk, Fred flanking him closely. Angel regarded the Demon hunter with wonder in his eyes, wondering if they could both change. He stepped into the car and Wesley drove, Angel still staring at Holtz as they pulled away.  
  
*  
  
"Aww he is perfect." Cordy cooed over the baby, still firmly held in Angel's arms.  
  
"Have we considered a name?" Lorne asked as the proud father started to gently rock the new-born baby.  
  
"Well I have been thinking about that, and I think and Irish name, back to his old man's roots." Angel smiled brushing a finger gently down the baby's cheek.  
  
"Connor." He murmured, as if checking with the infant first.  
  
'Connor' laughed, and Angel took that as permission.  
  
"Connor, he's called Connor." Angel announced.  
  
"Connor." The others all agreed and all crowded back round to look at Connor, or coo over him as the case may be.  
  
"Erm, guys, one problem... how'd you look after a baby?"  
  
*  
  
Angel, having never played the paternal role before, went to go see if Darla had left anything to help with the baby before she'd killed herself.  
  
He fished about under the bed for a minute and emerged successfully with a black duffel bag, containing two baby bottles, nappies, wipes, powder of some description and a couple blankets.  
  
"Well at least she didn't leave me nothing to work with... but where's he gonna sleep?" He wondered out loud.  
  
"Wes and Fred have gone to buy a cot from one of the 24 hour marts, whether they'll be successful remains to be seen." Cordy said from the doorway.  
  
"Oh." Angel said. "Great."  
  
"Are you okay, I mean brimming with joy at the new arrival, but... no evil psychotic feelings or anything?" Cordelia asked coming closer, slowly.  
  
"No Cordy, not evil. But I am happy."  
  
"Well maybe TPTB decided to cut you a little slack for once, who shouldn't be able to celebrate the miracle of birth without psychotic tendencies holding them down?" She enthused.  
  
"Maybe..." Angel mused.  
  
"Ooo OOO! Can I hold him Angel please... Gunn is hogging him." Lorne ran in.  
  
"Hey! I'm next in line, he needs to be around a woman, all these men will give him a chauvinistic tendency!" Cordy growled.  
  
"Guys... GUYS! I think we should calm down, we don't want to stress Connor out, he needs rest." Angel said lifting Connor tenderly from Gunn's arms.   
  
The little boy smiled, showing big pink toothless gums, then he closed his unfocused brown eyes and settled down in his fathers strong arms.  
  
"Awww!" The group all exclaimed, but Angel shushed them and motioned to the sleeping baby.  
  
"Sorry." They whispered and ran to help Fred and Wesley who'd just come through the door with a some assembly required cot.  
  
"Aww man, this could take forever!" Gunn said as Angel sat down, still cradling Connor against him.  
  
"Well for now, the kid's got a nice warm bed until we get this one up." Wesley smiled at the father and son.  
  
Angel smiled down at the tiny sleeping infant in his arms.  
  
"Make the most of it Angel, you got screaming fits, diaper changes and hunger strikes to deal with." Cordelia said brightly.  
  
"Well ah think its cute... Angel bein' a daddy, an' we can all help out riaht?" Fred asked.  
  
"Hmm.. I'll take a rain check on the diapers..." Gunn said wrinkling his nose.  
  
"Yeah me too, I think I can deal without that." Cordy agreed.  
  
"Nice to know you care guys." Angel raised his eyebrows at the group.  
  
"It looks like it's just you and me kid." He whispered.  
  
*Father and son...*  
  
*  
  
  
I know, crappy and it probably been done a zillion times since that ep. but be nice pwease its my 1st attempt, any suggestions then tell me constructive criticism is fine, but have a reason okay?  
Review please  
Thanx  
xXx 


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